Cards You're Dealt
by monkeygirl77
Summary: Lucifer had been back for over a year now, and he's seen basically everyone and everything, all except one. Or should he say two. Gadreel and Abner have yet to be found and he won't rest until he gets to see him, to apologize. Sometimes actions are more of an apology then words can ever be. They know what his sentence was, it was bad but not horrid, and it had never been this.


**As requested by Robin0203, its one of a few that I have in the work girl! I got all of your requests and haven't found any that I don't want to do! They will all be done! HA Ha! I hope you like it, it's not exactly as the request was, but I tried to keep it as close as!**

 **...**

"Absolutely not."

Michael's tone held that firm command that the argument be dropped but Lucifer wasn't being swayed so easily to simply let it drop. He stood so firmly that it was somewhat mystifying.

Never before had he stood for something so strong.

Well.

Nothing good.

"Michael-"

"Lucifer they are in the prisons for a reason."

"A reason that they had nothing to do with. Michael can't you see that they have been falsely accused? They had not done what you accused them of."

Michael sighed deeply and sat back in his chair. Giving his little brother a look, he waved his hand, and Lucifer was urged on and felt even more encouraged.

"Michael, you remember our teachings from before, yes?"

His older brother raised an eyebrow in surprise at such an odd question. Of course he remembered what they had once taught the angels under them. It had been something that they had considered most important above all else.

"Of course."

"Then you know that they trusted us. They didn't betray anyone, we betrayed them, they trusted in me and I abused that knowledge. I used it to my gain and forced them to let me into the garden despite their orders."

Michael actually looked like he was considering this and Lucifer held his breath in careful patience. Sighing to himself, Michael rubbed a hand down his face, and stood from his seat. Lucifer felt like a child on christmas morning when he was ushered along to the door.

"I will allow you to see them but that is it."

"Thank you big brother!"

...

The guards of the prison did not know what to think when the Archangels came knocking. They wanted to see two of their oldest prisoners (not nearly in age, merely the length of their stay) and they didn't know what to say when the Prince and his second of all Archangels turned up at the entrance of their abode.

With Thaddeus's untimely death, the successful revenge attempt of one well known prisoner, that left the position as Head open for taking. Alva was all to happy to step up in his trainers place. Like a 'son' taking the preverbial throne from the doting father and with it came the duties as head of the prisons.

Among other things.

"Alva, you have done well with the place."

The dark haired guard stepped away from the gathered crowd, smiling all too innocently, and a hand held out for gripping.

"Michael, Lucifer, what do we owe the honor of such a visit?"

Lucifer raised his chin and resisted the urge to shiver at the dismal slightly chilling atmosphere that always seemed to be hanging around such a place. Michael sighed at his brothers lack of tact reaching out to take the Prison Wardens hand in greeting.

"Greetings Alva, we are here to see a couple of prisoners. Isolation."

"Greetings Brother, and who might be the unlucky fellows you wish to bring forward?"

The Viceroy of Heaven twisted his chin in Lucifer's direction, "He wishes to see Gadreel and Abner."

That caught the breath in everyones throats much to the archangels confusion.

...

They dragged a body from the well in the center of the floor, not caring for any injury they might add to an aray already painted the poor souls skin a wicked palor color, pulling him to the cold stone floor in the deep dungeon room under what appeared to be the foundation of the prison itself.

He landed with a loud thump and an equally sized splash.

And then he simply lay there.

Not moving.

Not making a sound.

Just laying there.

"Wake him up."

Alva's voice cut through the morbid silence that had filled the room since the corpse like body had been pulled from the drowning well. Two more guards stepped up, robs with blue sparks bouncing off the ends, jammed into the clearly abused angel's back.

He arched and screamed, spasms rocking him violently, and he reached out for the only ones he know could be his saviors in this forsaken prison.

Lucifer was struck silent for a good long moment, before his attention shot to the unnaturally chipper Warden, Alva met his gaze with a smile that sent shivers down his spine.

And he was an archangel.

"Alva, what are you showing us? We came to see Gadreel and Abner."

This only made the other smile wider, "And I brought you to him, eer, one of them."

Michael was focusing on the poor individual, eyes roaming over the jolting body, and he held up a hand. The guards stopped their motions and pulled back, even Alva looked uneasy, seeing as if there was one person outside of Father Himself who could scare the light of day into him it was Michael.

Slowly he crossed the stone floor, leather sandals making soft sounds against the spilled water, and he knelt at his side reaching to grab at his shoulder.

And stopped immedaitely at the jolting flinch that rocked this poor brothers body.

Still he reached out and turned him slightly. Lucifer's breath caught in his throat.

Gadreel's bloodshot, pale blue, eyes stared up at them from the palest face he had ever laid witness to. He looked like a ghost. Michael motioned him over with his free hand as he himself made to stand. Lucifer didn't need any urging to move, his feet did it for him, and he shrugged his archangel cloak off in hurry, draping it over the soaked form on the floor.

"Alva what is the state of the others in this prison, you have over stepped your boundaries."

The Warden snapped his chin at his other guards and they dispersed at the command.

"Sir, he is-"

"I know what he is, and I know what his sentence was, this" He gestured wildly, to the well, the chains, the collar, and Gadreel's shaking soaked form, "This was most definitely not it. I almost dread ordering you to take us to Abner."

"Brother, he is freezing, look at him shake."

Michael turned at Lucifer's soft concern his eyes going wide to see that it was most definitely true. Pulling off his own archangel cloak he handed it down to the other on the floor next to him. Lucifer wrapped it around Gadreel's shaking body and lifted him bridal style in a decieving show of true strength.

"Alva. Where is Abner?"

His voice was hard, like stone, and the Prince of Heaven was not happy. He did not like finding out that his orders were not being carried out. Nor that someone had proclaimed order over his decree.

Michael was far from impressed.

Lucifer stood back up completely a moment later, Gadreel curled slightly almost zombie like in his arms, his eyes just as hard as Michael's were. He was so limp it was like he was already dead, Father knows that the chill rolling over him would have killed him had he not been so hard to actually strike down.

"Alva."

"Right, right, this way Sir."

They were moving again and as they passed the various cells of moaning inmates and bleedy mounds of angelic flesh, dread began to settle into their stomachs, when they were led down a side hall and into a dark damp dungeon.

He threw open the large door and the only indication that there was someone living within the shadows cast aside by the flood of light from the hall was the whine that met their ears. Michael stepped forward, away from Lucifer's side, trying as he might to be as silent as he could be he knelt next to the angel laying in a heap among the blood on the floor.

A silver whip had been left near the door and Lucifer's eyes wandered towards it intinctively.

Gadreel followed too and a whine crept from his throat, he moved sluggishly, but it was enough that the Morningstar was torn from his reverie and turned away from it slightly, blocking it from veiw with his shoulder.

"Shh little brother, you're alright."

Michael reached a hand out, feather light, and touched just finger tips to the slick skin.

"Abner?"

There was a shuffel from under his touch and his rage boiled over. There wasn't a patch of skin left untouched, and he feared that it would be worse under the loose fitting stained once white robe he wore.

"Abner, little brother?"

Pale eyes peered up at him from where they had been buried under a set of abused arms. Michael gave what he hoped was a comforting smile and brushed a thumb over the rough skin of the shoulder he cupped.

"I am going to move you, alright? You're coming with us now. We are going to get you much needed help."

It was blantantly obvious that the angel was much too gone to do much of anything. He simply nodded, eyes moving over the archangels shoulder to the one standing in the door way beyond the one who haunted his mind everytime he shut his eyes.

"Gadreel?"

The voice was painful even for them to hear and Michael had to restrain himself from flinching at it.

"He is coming too, we are going to investigate this entire place, you are saved little brother. Come with me now."

Michael wrapped an arm under his shoulders, unfolding him only slightly, and another under his knees as he pulled him close and lifted them from the floor in one fluid motion. Abner made a small noise of pain but didn't, couldn't, move much more than that. Michael met back at his brothers side and they watched depressing amazement as soaking one lifted his head slightly from Lucifer's shoulder at the approach of his best friend.

The one he's shared the last few torturous eons with.

"Abner...?"

A blood covered hand reached out, instead of a voice, and Gadreel returned the favor with a reach of his own. They locked hands for a short moment that the Archangels allowed but then it was time to move again.

 **...**

"Gabriel I am warning you, do not call me that."

Though despite his firm tone there was a smile that ghosted the Healers lips as he wrapped up another bandage around his little brothers adorable but crazy messenger in training. The aforementioned Archangel himself was leaning against the side table waiting for his little trainee to finish getting bandaged up, so he himself could get his own sort of chastisement in, and they could prepare to start this again the next day.

Zaveriel grinned, grimacing only a moment, when Raphael rubbed a few finger full of a smelly goo onto his burn.

"And you," A hand smacks him upside the head fondly, "Don't play with the hell fire."

"Again."

The lighthearted nature of the room was quickly put aside when the doors to the Hospital slammed open with Michael and Lucifer rushing in. This time it was not for one or the other after a particularly long argument gone wrong.

Something was wrong.

Michael was carrying what appeared to be a body, though with all the bood it was hard to tell if it was alive or not.

And Lucifer had a shaking, shivering angel clutched in his grip.

"Raphael there is need for you!"

Everyone stops moving for a long moment not sure how to respond oo something like this.

And then its over.

"Zaves go, fetch me more seasoned healers, mind that arm of yours, but be off with you."

Their little messenger is off in a beat, already half way across the room by the time they look up again.

"Set this one here."

Raphael points at Lucifer and the bed Zaveriel had just vacated, "Get him stripped down and wrapped in blankets."

A few healers ran to meet in the doorway after recieving the message and they nod to his orders.

"I need that one stripped as well, get him under the showers immediately lukewarm water only, was the blood free and get the clothes off of him."

More nodded at his command, ushering Michael over into the next room over. Lit by soft blue glowing stones built into the ceiling above them, large fixtures above them spilled water into a large stone pool below, over all it was an amazing sight.

Raphael dismissed them, trusting Lucifer and Gabriel to begin warming Gadreel up, jumping down into the knee deep lukewarm water, he held the hysterical angel up. Abner screamed as purified water washed over the many many _many_ lash wounds that covered every inch of his skin.

It was agony, pure unbrittled agony, and he screamed himself hoarse from pain. Blood dripped down his body and down into the water below them, washing down the drain in the floor.

Michael held him up as instructed as Raphael moved to begin what he knew was going to be a long long night's work. Nimble fingers pulled pieces of cloth out of his leg wounds, letting them flow away with the currant, tugging the robe free so he could pull it over his head. Byt the time they were done with him, a good twenty minutes later, he was a pale pink and covered in thousands of long red slashes covered his skin more then anything.

They wrapped him in a special sort of towel, laced intricately with his own grace, Raphael aided in moving him to another bed.

Lucifer and Gabriel had the other one in between them, carefully, cuddled warmly in what appeared to be three separate blankets.

Abner whined and cried as he was set down, on his front (as this was the least injured side), and Raphael placed a calming hand on his wet curly head.

"Calm yourself little one, you're alright."

Zaveriel returned a moment later and Michael spared him a look, though his eyes did stray to the band on his arm, there was more pressing matter on hand.

"Zaveriel, go, alert my Powers, I want the Prison investigated thoroughly. Bring anyone who appears to be in need of aid here."

The young angel nodded, reaching for his bow on the table Raphael stood before, a soldier to the core. A dark toned hand reached for his wrist immediately.

"You will return Zaves."

A hidden meaning to the odd words spoken, Zaveriel leaned up a moment as his fingers wrapped around the bambo and kissed his brother on the cheek. Raphael swung at him but the little messenger was already gone.

Tricky little thing he was.

Abner started when someone laid a hand on his shoulder, "Little one, I have a salve I am going to apply, well, to most of your body. It will jump start your natural healing process but while it does that it will numb the pain that will simply sit there while you wait."

Raphael smiled at him, warmly, and he felt oddly comforted.

"It's going to be a bit on the cold side."

Was the only warning he got before a mysterious jell like substance was being massaged into his torn and abused skin. Warm hands worked it into his arms and his shoulders. His back and legs. It felt good, on his abused muscles, and he sighed in comfort. Raphael looked up at him, hands massaging the tingly salve into his skin, eyes crinkling in amusement.

"Do you like that Abner?"

He nods softly, his eyes feeling heavy and for the first time in forever it wasn't because of unbearable pain.

"Perhaps we will have to do this...again...", The Archangel trailed off, examining something on the sole of his foot.

"Michael."

The elder was more then ready to jump in and do what he could to help, hands wrangling together in the need to do something. He was at the Healer's side in a moments notice. Kneeling down, and he made a similar face at the gash on the underside of his foot, it was a bad one.

"Brother it needs stitched, this is horrifying, I cannot in good faith allow him to do much of anything with this like it is."

Michael nodded along looking to him for direction as to what he wanted for him to do.

"I need you to hold his foot steady while I sew it up."

The Prince nodded, taking hold of Abner's ankle, humming softly when he stiffened under his touch. Raphael moved off to get what he needed, threaded a curved needle for easier work.

It was a good thing that Raphael had Michael holding onto Abner's ankle, and grip at his toes, for as soon as that needle point entered his skin it was all over. He screamed and pulled and tugged and fought them every moment.

Thank Father it was a small wound in need of mending.

They were done as soon as it started and Michael moved to his head, pulling it into his lap, whispering soft words of soothing comfort down to him until his cries softened down to listen to a story being whispered down to him from above.

It was a good enough distraction, and soon enough, Abner was giving off a small shy smile to whatever it was Michael was sharing with him (though there was no doubts that it had something to do with either Zaveriel and or Gabriel).

With that one out of the way and thoroughly distracted he turned his attention towards the other.

Lucifer and Gabriel were trying to get Gadreel to calm enough and allow them to help him. Poor thing flinched at every little movement.

Well that had to be nipped in the butt.

"Gadreel, you will sit yourself on that bed, and wrap yourself up all warm in those blankets or I will treat you with the same regard I do the fledglings who find their way in here."

Everyone stilled at the tone the Healer used, Raphael stood there, hands on his hips giving them the look that was reserved for all naughty fledglings.

He pointed at the bed he seems to remember telling him to be laid in, "You get yourself in that bed right now."

Gadreel looked at him, staring for a long moment, before slowly creeping his way to that aforementioned bed he was indeed told to be in. Lucifer and Gabriel sighed in relief that no one could disobey the Healer when he got involved.

Raphael sat on the edge of his bed, tucking a blanket up to his chin, "Now you get some rest, and stay under these blankets, I want to warm that core of yours as much as I can."

 **...**

Things had calmed down much like they had suspected it would, Abner sleeping, his head in Michael's lap still. A faint glowing came from under his skin in what must have been Raphael's salve doing as it was intended to do.

Lucifer was still at Gadreel's side, a hand had snuck out from under the blankets and wrapped around his ankle, and his nose was pressed to his thigh. It was actually kind of warming to look at.

More had been brought back from the prison with a few Powers and Zaveriel, not as bad as these two, but not good in the slightest.

They were scattered among the beds, tucked in all snug and fed, Raphael doing his rounds among them to ensure that they were continuing to heal smoothly and that they were all safe and sound. Sleeping like he so wanted them to be. A few let loose soft whimpers and when they did he was there, with gentle touches and soft humming to calm them back down.

Brushing wing tips to a foot here, and scratching a few fingers tenderly to a cheek there, they were being well cared for after eons of torture and despair. One had a particular nasty set of wings, hooks upon hooks had been removed from them, and seeing the expression of deep gut wrenching sorrow on the younger angels face Raphael had plucked a single long feather from his own wings, a neon electric blue, and gave it to the wounded angel.

His cheek was curled into the fluff, sound asleep, wings wrapped in bandages behind his back.

Little things, touches and soft words of love, brought them home again.

 **...**

"So what happened to that arm of yours?"

"Yes I was just as curious about that too."

Raphael looked up from his position at Gadreel's side, next to Lucifer, and rolled his eyes at the sight of Zaveriel lounging upside down on the bed next to them.

Gabriel snorted at what Lucifer and Michael was sure was a great story.

"It's a long story!"

"Well its a good thing we have a good long while."

"He was playing with the hell fire."

Michael looked up from Abner's peaceful face, "Again?"

"Again."

Lucifer grinned, looking over and poking him in the belly. Zaveriel squawked and fell to the side, arms coming around to protect his spot from any further attacks.

"You're gonna give us grays."

"Someone has to."

They all paused, turning to look at the little messenger with narrowed eyes, Raphael grinned evily, "Perhaps we shall make you another check up tomorrow little brother."


End file.
